


Can't Escape Destiny

by TheTruthBetween



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Body Dysphoria, F/F, MTF Emma, Self-Mutilation, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-05-29 15:47:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6382729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTruthBetween/pseuds/TheTruthBetween
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Swan is 27 years old when a young boy shows up on her door, claiming to be her son. The problem? She's never had children. So who is this kid from a town called Storybrooke, and what does he have to do with her destiny? Turns out, a lot.</p><p>On hiatus. *Not* abandoned, I love this fic and have serious plans for it, but I'm both super stuck on the next chapter, and taking a bit of a break from OUAT at the moment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in my head for a couple weeks now, and I can't ignore it any longer.
> 
> Note that in this story, Henry isn't related to Emma, Snow, or David. Also, I have NO idea how the process to become a foster parent goes, but given the process of adoption in the show, I figure that just winging it is acceptable ;)
> 
> Also, some of the tags are currently preemptive, I'll let you know when that changes.

Emma groaned, kicking off her shoes and locking the door behind her, takeout bag in one hand and keys in the other. Fishing out an egg roll and shoving one end into her mouth, she dropped her keys on the counter and ate ravenously before digging back into the bag to pull out a container of moo shu pork and chopsticks. She flopped down on the couch, eyeing her work files as she popped the container open before deciding that they could wait. Just about to take a large bite, her doorbell rang, and she sighed. Probably Mrs. Edwards from down the hall again. The woman had badly arthritic hands and a delusion that her dog wouldn't run away if unleashed, and, since Emma was a bounty hunter, she'd decided the young blonde was the perfect person to hunt down the dog. Every day.

Tossing the chopsticks down and looking longingly at her food, she regretfully stood, making her way back to the door and swinging it open. It wasn't Mrs. Edwards. In fact, for a moment, she thought nobody was there at all, until her gaze dropped down to see a young boy grinning up at her. She blinked. "Uh... can I help you?"

"Are you Emma Swan?" the boy asked, squinting at her slightly.

Emma frowned and responded, "Yeah. Who're you?"

"My name's Henry. I'm your son." The wide grin came back and the boy bounced on the balls of his feet.

 _Say what?_ Emma thought, staring at him in complete bewilderment. The boy -- Henry -- took her silence as invitation to enter and slipped past her. "Whoa, hey, kid... kid... Kid!" Emma called after him, the door swinging shut as she stepped away from it. "I don't have a son!" Not that she'd mind having kids, but that ship had sailed long ago. "Where are your parents?" she added, wondering who the hell would let their kid wander around Boston late at night like this.

Instead of answering the question, Henry turned from his perusal of her apartment and asked, "Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?" Emma stared at him, realizing that maybe this kid wasn't all there. "That was me," he added when she didn't respond immediately.

"Kid, I don't have a son," she said again, shaking her head and going for the phone. "I'm calling the cops."

"And I'll tell them you kidnapped me," Henry countered.

Emma paused, eyeing him. "You're not gonna do that."

"Try me."

Shit. Emma was certain he was bluffing. Her lie detector was pinging like crazy, but she wasn't sure she wanted to take the chance. "What do you want?" she finally asked, putting the phone back down and watching him cautiously.

Henry grinned, clearly feeling like he'd won. "Come home with me."

Well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad. She'd take the kid home, maybe suggest a leash to his parents, and be back home practically before her food was cold. She cast a longing look to the box on the coffee table. "Where's home?" she asked, resigned.

"Storybrooke, Maine."

 ** _Maine_** _?!_ Brain racing, Emma slowly nodded. "Fine. Let me get changed." She grabbed her purse and slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind herself. A second later, she heard him call out, asking if she had juice, accompanied by the sound of him rifling through her fridge. Kid was ballsy, she'd give him that. Shaking her head, she pulled her cell from her purse and found the number she wanted, typing out a quick text.  _Crazy kid showed up at my door, thinks I'm his mom. Said he'd tell the cops I kidnapped him. Help?!_

A minute later, the phone buzzed with the response.  _Let it never be said your life isn't interesting. I'll be there in 15._

Sighing in relief, Emma dragged her hands through her hair, then stepped back into the living room, making a beeline for her food and scooping it up. After all, she had fifteen minutes to kill.

Henry looked at her curiously. "I thought you were changing?"

"Yeah, well, I haven't had dinner yet," Emma countered. The kid shrugged, and took a gulp from the jug of orange juice. Emma made a face. "Didn't your parents teach you to use a glass?"

Wiping his mouth off on his sleeve, Henry scrunched up his nose. "It's just my mom, and yeah, but it doesn't matter with you, because you're my  _real_ mom."

"No, kid, I'm not," Emma reiterated, sighing. "I've never been pregnant, never had a kid, never gave anyone up for adoption. Sorry, kid, but you got the wrong person."

"No I don't," Henry insisted. "You have to be my mom. You just  **have** to! The website said my mom was Emma Swan, and I looked it up, and you came up, and it  **has** to be you!"

Okay, obnoxiousness aside, Emma was starting to feel a little bad for the kid. Clearly his home life wasn't great if he was so fixated on a complete stranger. "I'm sorry, kid," Emma said sympathetically. "I'll get you home, but I'm not your mom. And look, you know something?" She crouched in front of him, putting herself on his level. "I was given up when I was a baby, too. But you're lucky. You have a mom who chose you. She held you and said 'this is my son' even though she didn't have to. That's something, you know?"

Henry made a face at her. "You don't know her," he said stubbornly. "She's evil."

Emma bit her lip. Hesitantly, she asked, "Does she hurt you?"

"No, but she hurt everyone else. She cast a curse and now they don't remember who they are."

Aaaand the crazy was back. Emma stood up straight again, taking another bite of her dinner to buy herself time. She was saved from answering by a knock on the door.  _Thank god_.

Henry was eyeing her suspiciously as she went to answer, opening it to reveal Jane, her friend and social worker. "Finally," Emma sighed. "Come on in."

"Who's this?" Henry asked, clearly feeling betrayed.

"Henry, this is Jane. Jane, Henry," Emma introduced, then explained, "Henry, Jane is a social worker. She's going to get you home."

Jumping down from the stool he'd seated himself on, Henry yelled, "But you said you would take me home!"

"Yeah, I know, kid, but I can't do that. It's dangerous for me, and to be honest, it's dangerous for you to get in a car with a stranger. So I asked Jane to come get you."

The dark-skinned woman smiled at Henry, crouching down to meet his gaze evenly. "Can you tell me where you're from, Henry?"

"No," Henry crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.

"Storybrooke, Maine," Emma input helpfully, earning herself a baleful look from the ten-year-old.

"Maine?" Jane asked in surprise. "You came all the way to Boston alone?"

Henry simply glared and pouted.

Straightening, Jane smiled at Emma. "I'm glad you let me know about this, Emma. I'll get him home safely."

"Thanks," Emma said in relief. She watched as the social worker put her hand on Henry's shoulder, leading the resistant boy out the door. Blowing out a hard breath, Emma locked the door behind them and leaned against it heavily.  _Well that was fun_ , she thought sarcastically.


	2. Chapter 2

Two and a half weeks later, Emma had pretty much put the incident with the crazy kid from Maine out of her head. Jane had texted her four hours after she left with the kid, letting her know that he was home safe, and then life went on.

Until today.

Stepping out of a shoe store where she'd stopped to get a new pair of heels for her "working date" that night (her last pair broke while chasing down a bail jumper), Emma again saw the little boy who'd showed up at her door. This time, he was sitting in the diner across the street, a brunette woman around Emma's age with him. It wasn't any of her business, and for all she knew, the woman with him was his mom, but something about the boy from Maine being in Boston again made her curious, and she crossed the street, stepping into the diner and choosing a seat close enough to hear their conversation.

"But you have to come home with me," Henry was whining. "You're the Savior, you have to break the curse."

Okay, so not his mom. The woman was more blunt than Emma had been when confronted by the delusional kid. "Look. Harry, was it?"

"Henry."

"Whatever. Look. There's no such thing as curses, okay? And if you think a bunch of shitty fairytales are true, then you're seriously messed in the head." Emma frowned as she listened. Not that she disagreed, per se, but she certainly didn't think that telling the kid that was the way to handle things. "Here's the thing," the brunette woman continued. "I'm nobody's savior. I was a goddamn teen when I got pregnant. It was a mistake, okay? And I fixed that mistake by giving you up for adoption. You wanted to meet me, fine, whatever. But now you've met me, now leave me alone."

Emma glanced over her shoulder as the woman stood to leave, seeing the devastated look on Henry's face. "Wait..." Henry called feebly, but the woman left.

Chest aching in sympathy, Emma sighed and slid into Henry's booth. "Hey, kid," she said softly.

Henry scrubbed a hand across his eyes and glared at her. "What do you want."

"Nothing. That just sounded pretty harsh, that's all."

Biting his lip, Henry looked down at the table and mumbled, "I just want the Savior to come break the curse."

Emma pressed her lips together in what she hoped was a sympathetic expression. "So... I guess you realized that I'm really not your birth mom, huh?"

"Yeah," Henry glanced up at her. "I checked a different site, and I found my birth certificate. It said Emma  _Sworn_ , not Emma Swan. Sorry."

"No harm no foul," Emma replied easily. "But I have the feeling that your mom doesn't know you're here again, huh?"

Henry looked a little abashed and shook his head.

"You gonna try to run if I get you a lift home again?" Emma asked. When Henry shook his head again, she took out her cell, dialing Jane. A short conversation -- and several objections of "but I'm not CPS!" and "I have to work!" -- later, Emma hung up. "Well, kid, looks like I'm taking you home personally."

"Why?" Henry asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Complicated adult stuff," Emma waved off his question. "But Jane, the social worker you met last time, said it's okay, and I'm a legal foster parent, so you'll be safe with me, okay? Otherwise I can take you to the police station and get them to take you home."

Making a face, Henry shook his head. "No, I'm okay with you."

"Cool. Where do you live, again?"

"Storybrooke, Maine."

Emma groaned quietly. "Maine. Right. This is gonna be a long day." So much for the birthday cupcake she was going to get herself -- she'd be lucky if she got back home before one in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Emma and Henry arrived in Storybrooke, she'd heard the fictional life stories of half the town, and was just about done with it. Henry directed her to a large white house -- a mansion, really -- on Mifflin Street and casually informed her that his mom was the mayor. Because it wasn't anxiety-inducing enough to take a runaway kid home.

They were only halfway up the walk when the door flew open and Emma stopped, gobsmacked, as a gorgeous brunette woman ran to them, crying out the kid's name and wrapping him in a desperate hug. "Henry! Are you okay? You have to stop running away!"

The kid's shoulder's tensed and he pulled out of the hug, glaring up at her, not even faltering as he met her misty gaze. "I found my  _real_ mom," he spat, and ran into the house.

Straightening slowly, the woman watched him run inside, then turned to Emma. "You're Henry's birth mother?" she asked, her voice slightly choked.

Emma's eyes widened. "No! God, no. No, we met the last time he was in Boston. He, uh, thought I was his birth mom, and I got a social worker friend of mine, Jane, to bring him home. But I saw him today and I was curious, and it sounds stalker-y, but I sort of eavesdropped on his conversation with this woman and it turned out she was his birth mom, and she basically told him to go away and leave her alone, so when she left, I talked to him and was going to get Jane to bring him back again, but there wasn't anyone available, and I just got licensed as a foster parent, so she said I could take him, and now here we are." She took a deep breath after her babble, then smiled awkwardly and added, "Hi."

Gaze flicking over her quickly, the brunette took a breath and asked, "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?"

Letting out a hard breath on a chuckle, Emma nodded. "Sure. That'd be great."

***

At ten o'clock, and after a drink with Henry's mom, whom she'd learned was named Regina, Emma had decided that it was way too late to attempt the four hour drive home, so she ended up spending the night of her birthday in the dated, flower-wallpapered bed and breakfast. A knock on the door the next morning pulled her out of bed, and she swung the door open, leaning against it casually.

Regina stood on the other side, visibly stilling as her gaze moved down and back up Emma's body, making the blonde remember that she was just in her panties and a tank top. After a moment, the mayor regained her composure and smiled. "Did you know the Honeycrisp tree is the most vigorous and hardy of all apple trees?"

Emma tilted her head curiously, glancing at the basket of apples Regina held in her arms.

"It can survive temperatures as low as forty below and keep growing," Regina continued. "It can weather any storm. I have one that I'd tended to since I was a little girl. And to this day, I've yet to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers." She lifted one of the apples, holding it out to Emma.

Eyebrows raising slightly -- she'd never been seduced by apples before, but there was a first time for everything -- Emma took the apple. "Thanks."

Regina then held out the rest of the basket, adding, "I'm sure you'll enjoy them on your drive home."

"Actually... I was thinking I might stay for a while," Emma corrected, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. "If that's okay with you."

"Oh?" Regina asked. "Might I ask why?"

"It's... kind of crazy, actually," Emma chuckled, looking down sheepishly. Glancing back up, she explained, "Yesterday was my birthday. I didn't get a chance to buy myself a cupcake or anything, but I was going to make a wish. That I wouldn't have to be alone on my birthday. But before I could, Henry showed up, and he brought me here. It just... feels like fate or providence or something. So I'd just like to stay for a couple days before I go back to my empty apartment and crazy job. But, with everything with Henry, I'd understand if you wouldn't want me to, so I wanted to clear it with you first."

Regina looked surprised, and hesitantly asked, "You're... asking for my permission?"

Shrugging, Emma nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am. And maybe I'm also asking if you'd like to go for a drink sometime, too."

The surprised expression turned into completely taken aback, like Regina had never been asked out before, but she nodded faintly. "All right. I'll... I'll call you." She held out the basket of apples again, and this time Emma took it, smiling as she watched the brunette walk away.


	4. Chapter 4

Later, Emma sat at the bar of the diner, twisting one of the apples Regina gave her in one hand, while she held the local paper in the other, perusing the headlines disinterestedly.

"Here you go," a voice cut in, and a hot cocoa with cinnamon was placed in front of her.

Emma looked up in confusion to see the waitress with red-streaked hair smiling at her. "Thank you... but I did not order that," she replied, glancing back at the drink.

"Yeah, I know," the waitress leaned against the counter. "You have an admirer."

Frowning slightly, Emma glanced around, immediately noticing an attractive, if rather scruffy, man sitting alone in a booth. She sighed and picked up the drink, walking over to his table.

"Ah, hello," he greeted in an accented voice, smiling. "You're new around here."

Emma nodded. "I am, just visiting for a few days."

"Well that's good for our tourist business."

Emma quirked an eyebrow, and the man shrugged a little. "Look, the cocoa was a nice gesture, and I am impressed that you guessed that I like cinnamon on my chocolate, 'cuz most people don't, but I am not here to flirt, so thank you, but no thank you," she told him in no uncertain terms, setting the mug down.

Looking confused, he glanced between the drink and Emma, shaking his head. "I didn't send it."

Before crippling embarrassment kicked in at accusing a total stranger of hitting on her, a small brown mop of hair peeked up over the edge of a booth, and Henry chimed in, "I did." He smiled, getting out of the booth and adding, "I like cinnamon, too."

"Don't you have school?" Emma asked in confusion.

"Duh, I'm ten," Henry replied, looking at her like she was an idiot for asking. "Walk me!"

Emma briefly wondered when her life had been reduced to escorting a crazy (albeit cute) kid around, then followed him out of the diner. As they crossed the street, she asked, "So what's the deal with you and your mom?"

"It's not about us," Henry replied easily and decisively. "It's about her curse.  **We** have to break it! Luckily, I have a plan," he grinned up at her.

"We?" Emma asked. "I thought you were looking for the Savior?"

"Yeah... but you'll have to do."

With that ringing vote of confidence, Emma started to take a bite of her apple, only to have Henry exclaim, "Hey! Where'd you get that?!"

Brow furrowing, Emma looked at him, then the apple, and answered, "Your mom."

"Don't eat that!" Henry grabbed the apple from her and tossed it over his head onto the sidewalk.

Startling, Emma stared back at the apple on the ground, still reflexively walking with Henry, but even more confused than ever. "Okay..."

***

As they approached the school, Henry declared, "I gotta go. But I'll find you later and we can get started." As he jogged off toward school, he turned and called back, "I knew you'd believe me!"

"I never said I did!" Emma replied, holding out her arms.

"Why else would you be here?"

Watching as the boy turned and ran to the school doors, Emma smiled to herself and mumbled, "Well your hot mom has something to do with it."

A petite, pixie-haired woman turned to look at Emma in amazement and immediately walked over. "It's good to see his smile back," she said softly. "I'm Mary-Margaret Blanchard, Henry's teacher."

"Emma Swan. And I didn't do anything."

"You're here. You're Henry's birth mother, correct?"

Sighing, Emma shook her head again. "No, I'm not. He thought I was, and I brought him home, but that's it. He certainly seems to like me, though."

"Oh, sorry." Pausing, Mary-Margaret asked in a lower voice, "Does the mayor know you're here?"

"Oh she knows," Emma nodded, her voice raising to an unnatural pitch. Apples and underwear at nine in the morning. It sounds so much more interesting when she thinks of it like that.

Mary-Margaret's expression twisted in sympathy, clearly misinterpreting Emma's reaction. "She inspires quite a bit of... well, fear. I'm afraid I only made that worse by giving Henry that book, now he thinks she's the evil queen."

"Yeah, I heard all about that," Emma chuckled. "Who does he think you are?"

Flushing in embarrassment, Mary-Margaret let out a breath of laughter, "Oh, it's silly."

With a wry expression, Emma gestured to the road she and Henry had walked up and replied, "I just got five minutes of silly. Lay it on me."

Shaking her head and glancing down, Mary-Margaret admitted, "Snow White," and looked back at Emma to watch her reaction.

Something in Emma's chest ached at that, a deep longing that the curse was real, she was the savior, she did have parents who'd cared about her and loved her and--

"Who does he think you are?" Mary-Margaret asked over the ringing of the school bell.

Pulling herself out of her reverie, Emma softly answered, "I'm not in the book."


	5. Chapter 5

Emma spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon exploring the small town. She met the town therapist, out walking his dog, went by the sheriff station to apologize to the man she'd basically accused of hitting on her, and made a curious wander past the town hall, wondering which window was Regina's as she admired the well cared for apple tree and picked one of the fruit from its branches, since Henry had tossed the one she'd planned on having for breakfast. As she made her way back to the diner intent on beating the dinner rush (was "rush" even the right word for a town this size?) her phone rang, prompting her to fish it out of her back pocket.

"Yeah?" she answered, a little distractedly as she checked the street before crossing over to the diner.

"Miss Swan," Regina's voice came over the line, and Emma paused on the sidewalk, smiling a little. "I do believe I agreed to give you a call, did I not?"

Chuckling, Emma leaned against the fence enclosing the diner's patio. "That you did. What can I do for you, Madam Mayor?" she asked in a slightly flirty tone.

Regina cleared her throat softly before she said, a little clipped and uncomfortable, "Why don't you come by my office for a drink?"

Emma's smile widened into a full grin and she said, "I'll be there in a few minutes," already turning around and walking back toward city hall.

***

Regina placed a crystal tumbler of amber liquid down on the coffee table in front of Emma and sat in the chair across from her, smoothing her dress over her thighs with one hand. Clearing her throat, she took a sip of her own drink and then admitted, "I don't normally do this."

"What, drink in your office?" Emma asked with a chuckle, casting a glance at the sideboard. Regina's lips quirked in response, which Emma counted as a win. "Look, I'm just gonna put my cards on the table here," she started, and noticed Regina tense as if she was bracing herself for a blow. "I think you're really interesting, extremely attractive, and have an adorable kid. I'd like to get to know you better, maybe take you out on a date."

"... A date?" Regina asked, blinking owlishly.

Emma tried to suppress a grin at how befuddled the other woman seemed at the concept. "Yeah, a date. You know, take you out for dinner, maybe some dancing... maybe a walk down the beach. Walk you to your door at the end of the night, maybe get a kiss if you've had a good time." She winked.

Regina's cheeks flushed slightly, and she blew out a slow breath. "Oh."

Lifting her glass, Emma took a sip at what she found out was whiskey. "Do you think you'd like that?"

Regina's tongue flicked out and simmed across the edge of her top lip, drawing Emma's attention. "Yes, I... Yes, that would be acceptable."

Emma grinned widely. "Perfect. Tomorrow?"

"All right," Regina nodded. "Only... not here in Storybrooke. I do not wish to be at the center of the gossip mill."

"Sure," Emma agreed easily. "I'll work out the details and pick you up tomorrow around six?"

"You're dating my mom?!"

Both women looked toward the door, where Henry was standing, staring at them wide-eyed.

"Henry, it's not--" Regina started, as Emma affirmed, "That's the idea, kid."

Attention caught by the words spoken, Emma and Regina both eyed each other awkwardly. Finally Regina turned back to Henry, giving him a stiff smile. "Yes, Henry, Miss Swan is taking me out for dinner tomorrow evening. I'll arrange for Sheriff Graham to watch you."

Henry turned betrayed eyes toward the blonde, whining, "Em- _ma._ "

Emma shrugged slightly. "Sorry-not-sorry, kid. I like your mom." She tipped the rest of the whiskey into her mouth and swallowed, setting the glass down and standing. "I'll get out of your hair now." Looking at Regina, her voice dipped slightly as she added, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Before she turned away, she was able to see Regina take a slow, deep breath, and once she was out of the office, she grinned widely. Oh yeah. She still had it.


End file.
